The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1887-11-11

aeenseu Sat he mad moi ana - h4ie Dag - y
fhink y 4douslF 81 marrying Mr.. Percy Rap
lsas, a. for The ihstnamed gentleman, hia
creditors were becoming go extremely press
| inc, p.,d hia brother so deplorahly cioao-
- S 71 ~ g,lg n5s y a hazards, and
with tlie least possible delay, UrR3hsr
Waa, 81 course, the obstacle. When
rouaeq be was danRerous AZ. AUD We s 4elle
\ hrotheFys.l-iaw. Moreover, UraEhGT knew
i Narbssn khinga a bout RAplass, past life which
rs ned not vet revealed 70 his sister anil
which might cause an eRttr rBvEilslou IN that
/ lndyls feelings So, Mr.. Hapless determined
/ to induce her to elope with him, and laid hls
plans for thai object vi tn much forethought.
/ He first went to interview his brother, the
Earl OF Gofferton, who Was on the point ,I 81
1 leaving town for his moor in Scotland. Ills
greeting was not a cordial one.
Money sEsin fsrey, , Sqppo sSs s 1a1
/ boy, may IS well tell you it'sno 50,
'fMhRt fellow You are 70 jump At c0ncll-
sionsr replied hlr. BAplesH, pleaEantiy;
''nothing Of the sort, ] assure Yoni only q
isWeil, il It costs nothing, / may oblige
you, y said his lOrdship, Harily,
'.itis oniy 10 ask Major DraSher and me MP
''Why should Il / don't even know the
man
How the deuce can I remember everyone
who gets introduced 70 me at Those pot
houBesT'' groTled Lord gotterton. 'Explain
! why you want him hsked,'
| Mr.. Rapless did eKplzin, and, to his great
/ astoniRhInent, Major UrasheT received the
next morning polite note from LORD Soitef5
1 ton asking him to stay a few weeks Mt covert
/ Castle, his lorishlp's shooting box in Euther-
4 lancashire, The major, though much nat
| tered, felt somewhat suspicious, and ne
asked Dir. RRpless about tho invitation De-
ion, he told me he should ask you. - said
| RapleBs indifferentiy: he heard you we're
a deuced good shot, ,.,.
fully. -.,,.,. .....,,,,. d,
So the affair was settled, and grasher &C
Oegted the invitation with much pleasure I;
| Ries 20 making the ieFcest possible love 70
| Mrs. SiiyertOn during the few days which
| preceded his departure, The time WAS taE1
had been, if anything. more tdcIturn and IN
comprehensive than ever Of late. The
lwidow was much annoyed with him, and all
| the more willing to listen to Rapless' tale OF
devotion. The major was much occupied
with his tailor and gunmaker, and the lion,
Percy made such good use of his tiIae that
he succeeded in persugdlnE the WIDOW 20
promise to marry him. And ,7then,
with the innocent Crssher, ne depart
ed for Scotland, swearing eternal con-
Btancy. But Crasher, before leaving, took
the pTecaution to bride Mrs. Siiverton's but
Ter to inform him, without fail. Of su That
transpiTed in CurZOn street. At Covert Gas
tie the major enjoyed himself immensely;
the, shooting was capital, the, liquor aad
cookery beyond reprORch and the company
genial. a week passed very quickly, and
then, one morning, on coming DOWN to
breakfast his host told him that MIR. Rapless
had received a telegram summonlng him to
| London. and had left by an early train.
He left 10 message saying It was great
bore, said Lord UOterton, but that he'd
be back in three days or sn.H
And with this assurance tite major was
forced so be content. though he felt q pre-,
| sentiment Of coming danger.
Meanwhile Mrs. Silyerton was finding eE
isteuce distinctly dull. Without being eX
aCtly in love with Rapl0Bs, be amused and in
teTcsted her, aud she missed him very much.
LGnRtOu made no sign, and her other ad
mIIeIs WeRried her. She longed, III fact, fol-
some fresh excitement, and when the Hon,
Percy suddenly made his appearance, at 1
much earlier date than abe had expected
him, lac met with an unusually cordial greet
What has brought you back so soon ," sh'
II could not live, without you, " he O.
course, replied. And then Mr.. Rapiess sum
mOned to hls aid all hiH powers Of percussion
aud with many vows and protestatiuus O
eternal love and undylng devotion, he i'm
4 plOred her to elope with him. At frat she re
fused pointbIank: but as his entreatieS be
came more pressing, her resistance becan
teeblpT. Why nnt7 she reelected. Life has
become q bore of late; her lover was hand
some, fascinating, and OF undeniaele family
an elopement was exciting and romantic al
ordinary marriage would be humdTuni Of
fair, and that announcement brother Of her
would DO certain 70 make himself nuisance
! Besides, she would be reyenged upon Lang
ton. who had shRmGfully neglected her. Fin
ally, she promised to give q definite Nuswe
the next day, and Rapless departed in tli
umph, knowing that the battle WAS won.
He called pretty early the following morn
ing, and everything WaRsettled satisfactorily
! After many protests, size consented to star
the next evening at :05 from Chn.ing-eTOBs
y they would CROSS to Paris, where she cOulJ
Q stay with some friends until marriage b.
r special license could be arranged; the Ccre
t mony over, they would 90 on TO Switzerland
= Or any other place that seemed suitable for
] honeymoon He YVES forbidden 10 call agaiI
! NJ CurlOn street, or to attempt to see her be
/ fore they met at the station; the iRterVa
} would be spent by both IN making their re
2 Epectiye preparations. So bhpleas depRrtet
} to see his lawyer raise some money, and La
in a stock Of cigarettes and other neCessarle
| for Continental travel. In the afternoon b
> went 10 his club, and feeling somewhat sen
timental, filed up the interval before Dime
by writing to the widow a very rhpturou
9 epistie' in which after describing at som
I length the bliss he wollld experience in cal
. ing her his own, he alluded TO the appoint
? | ment at Clearinghouse, and ImplOred her nc
, To play him false. This letter reached Mr.
SilvertoG By the / o O'Clock post as she wa
j writing in her boudoir. The butler, VIII
0 brought the missiye, noticed that she ha
+ recently been crying: his guspicioDs WEI
: aroused, and he Observation-Disclosures
Major Crasheris instruct 1onB-fo keep his eye
It open. So, when his mistress hsd gone to bee
q the trusty retainer went to the room Whel
" che had been occupied and after some searcE
II discovered certain fragments in the west
So paper basket, which acquainted him with ii
d state OF RtfairE. 1t was too late to write
sr Major Crasher; but telegram would be d
D. iiYered carly the next morning. SO, the bu
ID Ter wired the dreadful news to his patrol
lt The MAJORS feelings when he received q
o. telegram in bed at Govern Castle were ind
ID scribable. II cursed and stamped round
Nv for fully hHqIT hafnrp hn III Il
is wise any scheme to thwart Alr. Raples
y, treaeherons design. He consulted BRA
ly shaw in vain; u was impossible for him
OF arrive in London, before the Continent
as train had left. Al last an idea flashed aero
N his brain, He dressed hurIiedly, rushed
ID the stables, borrowed horse and gallopl
I'd wildly toward the nearest tOEn.
ID
40 must now return to Mr.. Rapless, and i
"a preparations for fight. He woke late on h
fAteful morning, and TeInenbeTed th
ut he still had a great deal to do
fore he could safely depart. He dared u
creditors were watching him. The laRy
81 had not proved 30 accommodating as
could have wished; no money WAS foriheoI
Ie ing ~ ~ oel9tek; aIa tae post bF9nghttre
ds breakfast, and, as luck would have it, sat
n | table next 20 Mr. John LangtOn, who hi
"a just returned from circuit. Now, Mr.. RA
less did not suspect Langtqn'g devotion
IA the widow in the least. He looked upon hi
y as harmless, gooid-natured individual, who
only popularity was his dislike for women.
4 itHullo, Langtou!n he said cordial
"a Thought Won were away
Il Just got back. replied the other; 'goiI
~ away again this eEeningt thought
"A so am I, said the Hon. Percy, feeliI
n half inclined 10 make a confident; start
sos from OharinR- cross y
so dol. I'm going to Paris for q bit, al
q then up the RhiBe1
a .lbe deuee you arel7
Yes; wish could get away sooner, but
a. have sf appointment at s..
y You've rot much to do to-day then n
Il 'iAbsqlutely nothing.n
III by JOye, old ehsp, said Mr.. BaplcB
lyon would do me atremendons favor ii yC
would look after enc 81 tive thinga for n
= I'm internally eusy, and shall never g
Q through unless you will help lnen
i II don't mIHd, replied Iangton; lit III
9 help 70 pass the fimeh